A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site in Atlanta on January 24, 1998. This historical event, taking place in the course of the 50th anniversary of India's independence, was made possible by sustained and concerted efforts made by the National Federation of Indian-American Associations (NFIA), along with the enthusiastic support of the National Park Service of the U.S., especially its superintendent, Mr. Troy Lissimore.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) donated the statue, which was sculpted by Mr. Ram Sutar of New Delhi.

The former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Mr. Andrew Young, was the chief guest and among the dignitaries who attended the ceremony were: Honorable Lewis Massey, Secretary of State, Georgia, Ms. Paula Bevington, Chairperson, Georgia Human Relations Commission, Mr. Issac Farris, Chief Operating Officer, The King Center, Honorable Greg Pridgeon, Former City Council member, Atlanta, and Mr. Naresh Chandra, Ambassador of India to the United States. Ms. Christina Farris, Director of the King Center, represented the King family.

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Naresh Chandra said, "I feel great pride in participating today at this dedication ceremony to honor one of India's greatest sons and in the vicinity of the Memorial of one who was among America's greatest, namely, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This is as it should be because both these great souls in their actions and influence succeeded in transcending the barriers that we tend so often to create to divide ourselves." The Ambassador also pointed out that both Gandhi and King believed in active reform to eradicate from society the ills of injustice and discrimination, but at the same time pursued dynamic programs of change through peaceful and non-violent means.

Ambassador Naresh Chandra read a message from President of India, Mr. K.R. Narayanan, that said, "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King have been joined together by invisible arcs of history. Practitioners of non-violence, both, they believed that disobeying oppression and discrimination was their duty." The President's message referred to the dedication of the statue as the event of considerable symbolic significance - as it symbolised: "the ennobling bonds between our two countries and commemorates the unity of thought and action of two of the greatest men of this century."

The Chairman of the NFIA, Mr. Subash Razdan, thanked the ICCR and all others who had been involved in this effort.

In her message Mrs. Coretta Scott King stated that, "It is gratifying and appropriate that this statue is installed in this historic site because my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr., was deeply and profoundly influenced by the life and teachings of Gandhi. As Martin wrote in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom, "As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the arena of social reform...."  Her message adds that, "It not only commemorates the life and contributions of one of history's greatest leaders, but also the eternal bond between Gandhi and his foremost American disciple, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the spirit of goodwill between the people of India and the United States."